Underestimation
by Jan of Arc
Summary: Entry for Sookie's Happily Ever After Contest. Alcide knows he manipulated Sookie but he always thought he would convince her to help out the Longtooth pack - until he saw her bring a man back to life and witnessed another event. Now he can only watch as she lives out her Happily Ever After. Alcide POV.


**Entry for Sookie's Happily Ever After Contest**

Title: Underestimation

Characters: Alcide (Sookie, Eric et al mentioned only)

Word count: 1,305 words

Pen name: Jan of Arc

Beta: Jaxg

Category: Experienced SVM

A/N: This fic is entirely Alcide's POV. I own nothing. This is set around a year after DEA ends, any happenings mentioned are presumed.

**Very Important**: the Cluviel Dor and its uses are not common knowledge and only Amelia, Eric and Sam knew that Sookie had one in her possession. _Alcide has no idea how Sookie managed to save Sam in Deadlocked._

Underestimation

It's been months since I saw Sookie Stackhouse and a year since I last spoke to her. Not that we were best buds in any sense of the word - I'm the first to admit I manipulated her. I am a dirtbag. I look out for me and my pack and Sookie ... she would have been good for the pack – even if she wasn't a Werewolf. She's been through so much in her life, for some of it I was there, for the rest ... well everyone knows how much Supes gossip. I heard the story about her being kidnapped by the Fellowship of the Sun from Luna Garza, but she got out on her own – not a lick of help from the Vamps that claimed to protect her. Nope, she did it using her own charming way of talking to Supes and inspiring them to help her out.

I was there in Josephine's when she was staked; and if I could have helped her I would have. I was there when she came out of the trunk of that Lincoln; battered, bleeding and violated. I lost a good man when she was taken by the Fae, but she survived – even with two of the meanest fairies anyone had heard of torturing her.

Through everything, we just assumed she was a human with extras. Isn't that what she called herself, after all?

Everyone knew she was a telepath and wanted to use that for their own gain. Everyone knew what a special person she was and wanted to take advantage of her good nature. But no one could have guessed just how much power she had. I always thought, by hook or by crook, one day I'd be able to get Sookie in my corner.

Until the night I saw her bring a man back to life.

No one really talked about the night Jannalynn killed Sam Merlotte and Sookie threw herself down on his body. No one really talked about how chilling her voice was when she simply said 'Live'. Oh, we talked about Jannalynn's treachery with Sookie's cousin; we just never talked about the thing with Sookie and Sam. Everyone, including me, thought it was a one off; an anomaly created by her fairy powers. Whatever it was made every Supe pause, just for a short moment. When things calmed down, I was even surer the combinations of circumstances that night had been unique and contributed to Sookie willing Sam to live.

Until the night I saw her condemn a Vampiress to death.

Sookie had asked Amelia to disguise her so she could go to the bloodsucker's wedding unimpeded. Freyda had invited her, gave Sookie a front row seat – but Sookie wanted to slip in the back and let Freyda think she'd won. I was happy to go and watch as Eric was taken out of the equation; no Eric meant one less barrier to me making Sookie part of the pack's retinue. I saw a tear roll down her cheek as Eric was brought out to the altar, one look at his face told everyone he wasn't there of his own free will. I overheard Sookie telling Amelia that the world is all checks and balances – she saved Sam and now she had to choose someone to take his place and appease death. Now, I don't want to assume what her powers truly are, but anyone who knows what death wants and knows what to do to keep death content – well, that's someone I don't want to mess with.

You might say it was Freyda's fault for demanding such a huge wedding; she wanted every Supe in Louisiana there to see her claim Eric for her own. She wanted to teach Sookie a lesson - a harsh lesson, in how Vampires will always, always, be better than humans. But everyone learned a lesson that night and it wasn't just that Sookie could make Freyda burst into flames just by pointing and saying 'Die' in a creepy voice.

We learned that we had all been underestimating Sookie Stackhouse. We learned she could take someone out without touching them. We learned to fear her.

Word about what had happened at Freyda and Eric's wedding spread very quickly; Sookie's reputation went from 'usually obliging telepath' to 'do not piss off under any circumstances' in less than 24 hours. Even now, Sookie's name is spoken with a mixture of reverence and trepidation. Heck, she's like that Voldemort guy from that wizard book. Anyone who shrugged and passed it off as exaggeration had plenty of eyewitnesses to put them right.

Felipe De Castro was over the moon with this development of Sookie's powers, he thought he was untouchable; that no-one would attack his territory while he had Sookie standing under his umbrella. What an idiot. Sookie was never under his umbrella – he found that out when Pam ran all his subordinates out of the state with Sookie at her back. Admittedly, Louisiana has been better under the Ravenscroft reign. We're golden with Sookie here. The vamps don't think about attacking and taking over and the other Weres know she's not just a friend of the Longtooth pack – but a friend to every Supe who ever helped her.

Sookie always looked out for people who looked out for her. Did I ever look out for her? Thinking back, I don't think I did. I abandoned her the first time she needed me to be there and things never really improved after that. I coerced her into coming to the pack-master contest, I coerced her into taking drugs, I invaded the sanctity of her bedroom to try and seduce her. Yeah, I'm a dirtbag and I never deserved the joy that someone like her could bring me. Others have manipulated her into their beds, but I did it because I knew she'd never tell the pack 'no'.

Did I want her in my bed, by my side, so I could say she was mine? Damn right I did. But timing and circumstance just never let it happen. Maybe that's why I manipulated her to do so much for the pack. Maybe, deep down, I was punishing her for never being available to me in that way. I guess I'm being punished now. Even though I know she'd never hurt me, even though I know that the way I treated her is all water under the bridge – the fear remains.

Now, all I see are glimpses of her as she lives the life she wants to live. The only Supes she has regular contact with anymore are Eric, Pam, Sam and her half-shifter brother.

Everyone else is terrified of crossing her.

The vampire who raped her, Bill, he moved to another state when she realised he'd been trying to tip her self-esteem over so she would let Eric go and he could have another chance with her. He ran before she could strike out at him. I knew he was a smart vamp.

She still runs the bar with Sam, business is booming from what I hear. She's still with Eric, despite many of us thinking that he's not good enough for her. If Sookie thinks he's good enough, I'm not going to argue. She advises Queen Pam from time to time on a voluntary basis. As far as I know Sookie still looks like the first ray of sunshine after a storm, just like the first day I met her.

Sookie is happy; she's got exactly what she wanted. A job she loves and a vampire she loves. She deserves some peace and contentment after everything the Supe world put her through. I'm truly, honestly, happy for her.

But that still doesn't change the fact that I would never, never, want to get on her bad side.


End file.
